1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal capable of receiving multimedia broadcasting, and in particular, to an apparatus and method for performing a user authentication process when a portable terminal receives multimedia broadcasting.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile terminals are universally regarded as personal necessities of modern life for people of all ages and both sexes. Thus, service providers and terminal manufacturers are competitively developing differentiated products (or services).
For example, the mobile terminal has been developed into a multimedia device capable of providing various services such as phonebooks, games, short messages, e-mails, wake-up calls, MPEG Layer 3 (MP3) players, digital cameras, and wireless Internet services.
Furthermore, with the recent development of digital multimedia techniques, digital multimedia information is more frequently used, which leads to the development of a portable terminal capable of receiving a video service (e.g., digital broadcasting (terrestrial DMB, satellite DMB, etc.) and Video On Demand (VOD)). In particular, since the video service can be used while moving, such portable terminal has drawn interest from many users.
Such a video service may be provided with restriction. For example, a certain age group may be prevented from using the video service, or a pay video service may be provided only to a subscriber.
Specifically, in order to prevent adolescents from watching adult broadcasting, an authentication process is carried out in such a manner that a user who wants to use the video service using the portable terminal directly inputs personal authentication information, and only when the authentication process is successful, the user can watch the adult broadcasting.
However, since the authentication process is initially executed when using the video service, adolescents can easily access the adult broadcasting if it is broadcasted right after a broadcast, which does not require such authentication process.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method in which broadcasting requiring authentication can be watched by only an authorized user using a portable terminal.